Overview

The group "Molecular Kinetics and Spectroscopy" of Martin Quack at ETH has as main research theme the understanding of fundamental physical-chemical molecular primary processes.
The basic research question concerns the fully quantum mechanical
molecular motion, which is at the origin of all chemical reactions. An
essential aspect of the research is the systematic combination of experimental and theoretical studies.
The experimental studies concentrate on high resolution infrared
spectroscopy, infrared multiphoton excitation and time resolved kinetic
spectroscopy. While most of the experiments address fundamental
questions, some practical applications relate to atmospheric
spectroscopy and to isotope separation. The
theory covers full-dimensional quantum dynamics by various approaches.
Approximate theories are developed and tested in relation to exact
theories. Another focus of theory is the time dependent quantum
dynamics in intramolecular energy flow and vibrational redistribution,
coherent infrared multiphoton excitation and laser chemistry as well as
time dependent quantum statistical mechanical approaches to these
processes. Finally, the group studies kinetics and quantum dynamics of molecular tunneling processes as well as fundamental symmetry principles
in molecular processes and molecular chirality in relation to parity
violation. Many aspects of the spectroscopic research can be found in the articles authored by members of the group in the
Handbook of High Resolution Spectroscopy edited by M. Quack and F. Merkt (Wiley, Chichester, 2011).

The Quack group continues research with the support of an Advanced Grant
from the European Research Council and a grant from the Swiss National Foundation. A particular educational
effort of the group in general and Martin Quack in particular concerns
the special study branch of Interdisciplinary Sciences
("Studiengang N"), which Martin Quack has taken care between 1992 and 2008 as Advisor "Fachberater" (chairman, now called delegate,
"Studiendelegierter"). These studies allow for a broad scientific
education covering physics, chemistry, and biology with various
possible specialisations but no necessary restriction to any one
subfield.The current chairman (Studiendelegierter N) is Prof. Frédéric Merkt, while Martin Quack remained associated with this as a deputy chairman until 2013.
Interested students should contact Prof. Frédéric Merkt on these highly recommended studies.